Air Conditioning Filter: Essential Part of Heating and Air Conditioning

The air conditioning filter is one of the mostthey are lower in cost.
important air conditioning parts in the airPleated fiberglass disposable filters (1" and 2"): The
conditioning system. Without it, your air1" are generally used in many residential and
conditioning system would be dirty and the air youcommercial settings and are made of materials
breathe would be filled with pollutants. All airthat can vary in the effectiveness. Usually, they
conditioning parts, from the ductwork to the airare more densely woven to increase the
conditioning refrigerant, need the air conditioningefficiency of removing dirt. These have a larger
filter to be clean and replaced to ensure you'resurface area to lead to increased trapping of
getting the very best in central air conditioning.particles as compared to conventional filters. They
If an air conditioning filter is left dirty, over time, itmust be specified for your air conditioning system
can lead to higher energy costs andor this can lead to increased demand on your air
shortequipment life due to all the air conditioningconditioning components. Thereby, a mismatch
parts relying on each other. One can not workcan be counterproductive on the health of the air
without the other. Overall, your heating andconditioning system and possibly lead to higher air
cooling will not be as effective and you will needconditioning maintenance and service cost. You
to invest in more air conditioning repair and airshould check with the air conditioning
conditioning maintenance.manufacturer as to the appropriate type of
An air conditioning filter should be changed everypleated filter for your system. A filter spray can
month or every two months for home airalso be applied after the cleaning and drying of the
conditioning systems and every couple of weeksair conditioning air filter .
for certain commercial or industrial air conditioningElectrostatic filters: Different in design and
since it's running almost 24 hours a day, 7 days aperformance, since there are so many varieties, it
week. Doing this as a routine in your monthlyis rather difficult to determine which is the most
chores and not waiting until you see dust mattedefficient. They are commonly advertised as
on the air conditioning filter will ensure you andallergy-free air conditioning filters. These filters also
your family the very best health as well as acome in the 1" and 2" sizes. Air that moves
smooth running air conditioning system . Dustthrough the filter creates a static charge that
particles can not always be seen so even if youcollects any dust in the filter. They may require
see a little dust on the air filter , clean it as youmore cleaning and more blower power.
normally would.Electronic filters : Connected to an electrical power
Since there are a variety of air conditioning filterssource and usually wall mounted, electronic filters
, how quickly one gets blocked versus anothercome with a pre-filter that can collect larger
depends on the brand - most air conditioningparticles and only need to be cleaned every six
filters are sized 1 ½ to 2 square feet formonths.
each ton of capacity for a home or commercialCarbon filters : These filters contain carbon that
property.can control any odor problems you might have
You can judge a filter's ability to clean by usingwithin the air conditioning system . They can also
MERV ratings - Minimum Efficiency Reportingbe useful in homes with pets.
Value - which is a rating of how efficient an airAir Conditioning Filter Installation
conditioning filter is from 1-12. The higher theWhen placing the appropriate air conditioning filter
rating, the more effective it is at removingin to the system, the filter should be placed in the
particles such as animal dander, pollen, dust, moldcorrect direction as indicated by the arrow located
and other allergens, and the better the protectionon the side or face of the filter. Air should flow in
for your air conditioning equipment . Most airthe proper direction which is in the same direction
conditioning filters screen out particles measuringas the arrows. This allows the filter to work
from 3 to 10 microns in size.appropriately, as the air exits the filter in the
The common types of air conditioning filters are:most reinforced part of the filter.
Conventional fiberglass disposable filters (1" andThe air conditioning filter should fit tightly. A
2"): These are common in most homes and smallperfect seal is necessary to prevent unfiltered air
industrial air conditioners and commercial airfrom entering and damaging your air conditioning
conditioning systems. Since they are disposablesystem. Without a perfect seal and appropriate
and have an adhesive coating that traps the dust,sizing, the filter is useless. Additionally, the
you should not clean the filters . This maynon-conventional filters may have a higher
damage the filter's ability to remove particles byefficiency and may not fit your system. This
damaging the adhesive coating and/or theshould be checked with an air conditioning
underlying mesh work. They are both not ascompany, contractor, or air conditioning supply
effective as other types of filters even thoughcompany.